Cigna Healthcare Timely Filing Limit

The most important thing to confirm with Cigna Healthcare is not just the number of days, but also what event starts the clock. Some payer documents measure from date of service, some from discharge, and some publish different rules for corrected claims or appeals.

At a glance

• Cigna’s current provider-facing claim filing page states filing limits can vary and gives rule-based exceptions. A legacy CHCP resource states a general commercial timely filing framework of 90 days for participating provider claims and 180 days for patient claims, but current public pages emphasize checking the applicable plan, provider agreement, and claim type. Behavioral health resources show separate contractual filing limits in some cases. Because this varies, do not flatten to one universal deadline.

Initial claim filing limits

• Commercial/participating provider claims: 90 days from date of service per CHCP legacy resource
• Patient claims: 180 days per CHCP legacy resource
• Behavioral health CBH contract: 60 days in one legacy guide; another behavioral resource says claims not submitted within 90 days may be denied unless state law allows longer
• Current provider submit-claims page: filing limits vary by applicable law, provider agreement, COB timing, and extraordinary circumstances

Corrected claim filing limits

• Corrected claims are not given one universal deadline on the current public claim page.
• If a claim was timely filed originally and Cigna requested additional information, the filing limit may not apply to that resubmission.
• Corrected claims should be resubmitted according to claim-type instructions and the patient ID card / appeals guidance.

Appeal and reconsideration deadlines

• Health care professional appeals should generally be submitted within 180 days of the initial payment or denial notice, or within 180 days of the last payment adjustment for adjusted claims.
• A provider payment review PDF states appeals should be submitted within 180 days and allow 60 days for processing, unless state law requires different timing.

Trigger basis and caveats

• The current claim page says consecutive-day services are counted from the last date of service.
• In COB situations, timely filing is determined from the primary carrier’s EOB/EOP processing date.
• Applicable law, provider agreement, extraordinary circumstances, and Cigna-requested additional information can alter the filing rule.
• Behavioral health and Medicare-related products may have different timelines.
• Cigna’s public pages contain both current and legacy guidance; the exact deadline may depend on line of business, product, and provider contract.
• Do not assume a universal filing deadline for all Cigna lines of business.
• Use the patient ID card / specific appeals instructions when available.

Provider resources

• Cigna for Health Care Professionals portal (official)
• Precertification / Prior Authorization (official)
• Submit Claims (official)
• Appeals and Disputes (official)
• CHCP resources: Electronic Claims Submission (official)
• CHCP resources: How to Register (official)

Sources